Many events in Animal Crossing: New Horizons are restricted to certain times of the day. Rare bugs such as scorpions only appear late at night, Daisy Mae only sells turnips in the morning, and K.K. Slider will only take song requests starting in the early evening. There’s one more event that only happens at night — and if you don’t look up, it’s easy to miss.
Meteor showers are not only a beautiful spectacle in the night sky, but they also hold some gameplay value. Wishing upon a shooting star during these occurrences is the only way to find star fragments in New Horizons — a rare material that’s incredibly valuable and can be used to craft several magical objects. Here’s how to find star fragments in New Horizons and what you can build with your celestial rocks.
Further reading
- How to get a ladder in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- How to plant a money tree in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- A guide to eating fruit in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Look toward the sky during a meteor shower
The first thing you’ll need to do before getting your hands on some star fragments is wait around for a meteor shower to occur. These typically take place between the hours of 7 p.m. and 4 a.m., and Isabelle should warn you about them when you first log in for the day. Alternatively, you can check the in-game weather broadcast — if you’re lucky enough to own a television set — to see if a meteor shower will be happening later that night.
Once you’ve figured out when the meteor shower is appearing, head outside, put all your items away so your hands are free, and look up at the night sky. Periodically, you’ll see a shooting star fly across your screen. These are easy to spot — not only can you see them streaking through the darkness, but there’s also an audible cue before they appear.
When a shooting star is present, make sure your camera is angled up at the clear sky and press the A button with empty hands to make a wish. If successful, the star will become a bit larger and glow a bit brighter. There’s no limit to how many stars you can wish upon, so keep your eyes glued to a meteor shower and keep making wishes until you grow bored. Shooting stars usually happen in large groups, meaning you should be able to wish upon several dozen before the night comes to a close.
Pick up star fragments the next morning
The morning after the meteor shower, head out to the coast. Scattered along the beach you should see star fragments — typically, there is one for each wish you made the previous night. They can be located anywhere along the coastline, and that’s the only place they’ll be found — you’ll never find a star fragment anywhere but in the sand. These celestial objects come in a few varieties:
- Star fragments: The most common type of fragment.
- Large star fragments: Less common, but required in order to craft many valuable items.
- Zodiac star fragments: Very rare, only found at certain times of the year.
Star fragments and large star fragments can appear any time of year, while Zodiac star fragments are tied to different seasons. For example, between April 20 and May 20, Taurus star fragments may appear, while Gemini star fragments will appear between May 21 and June 20. Zodiac star fragments are among the rarest objects available, but stumbling upon one gives you the option to craft some of the coolest furniture in the game.
What to craft with star fragments
Star fragments can be used to craft a variety of different items, including the Magic Wand. This recipe can be found from Celeste, a wandering villager that can often be seen on your island during meteor showers. Be sure to talk with them whenever they’re around, as they like to hand out unique DIY recipes that involve star fragments.
The Magic Wand is the main reason players like to collect star fragments, as it lets them change outfits on the fly. Outfits are saved in a fashion similar to the tool ring, giving quick access to several different styles. You’ll have to assign the outfits while near a dresser or closet — and you’ll need to keep the Magic Wand in your inventory — but it’s a fun feature to play around with.
Beyond the Magic Wand, there are some cool pieces of Zodiac furniture that can be crafted, such as the Leo sculpture, Aries rocking chair, and Scorpio lamp. Each one requires a corresponding Zodiac star fragment, which gives you a good reason to keep stargazing throughout the entire year.
